Smile For Your Blue Skies
by Kaygi
Summary: It's amazing how lives can be changed and feelings can be realized under the sapphire blue skies... YahikoXTsubame. OneShot.


**A/n**- I wrote this totally spur-of-the-moment. I was listening to a Spitalfield song (which is where I got the title from) and just started typing... It was going to be a KenshinXKaoru fanfic, but how many of those are there already? Like 2 million! So, I decided to go with YahikoXTsubame! Enjoy!

And PLEASE REVIEW! XD Thank you to those who do!

_**Smile For Your Blue Skies**_

_Tip, tap _went Yahiko's sandals against the sandy, rough path. He was on his way back to Kamiya dojo with tofu, upon Kaoru's request. Actually, it had been more by force or fear of a death threat that he had gone. Usually, Kenshin did all of the errands, but he was busy cleaning that day. And Sanosuke would never agree to do this. Therefore, it had been up to Yahiko.

_'Why can't Kaoru get up off her lazy ass and get the damn tofu for once?' _Yahiko thought. Then again, he couldn't imagine her being able to lug the massive amount of tofu back to the dojo. He tightened his grip on the heavy bamboo container with his sweaty palms. Kaoru had asked him to get several kilos of it. For what reason, he didn't know.

_'She's probably planning on eating it all herself and getting fat. Then I can call her 'Ugly' and it'll be the truth...' _he thought evilly. He groaned in frustration as he almost dropped the tofu. Karma was telling him to stop teasing her.

In the distance, something caught his eye. It was a familiar figure sitting on the riverbank to his left. As he walked closer, he realized that it was the quiet, polite Tsubame.

"Tsubame-san!" he called out.

The kawaii girl turned to look at Yahiko. She waved and called out in response.

"Yahiko-cha..._I mean_, kun!"

Yahiko walked over to where she was sitting. He plopped the gargantuan slab of tofu on the ground with a THUD! Tsubame flinched slightly at the sound.

"What is all of that for?" she inquired, sounding bewildered.

"You can ask Kaoru that," Yahiko replied. He sat down next to Tsubame to take a much-needed rest. Looking down at his hands, he realized that blisters and calluses had formed on his hands. He groaned. '_Damn tofu!'_

"I have something that might help your blisters," Tsubame said shyly. "Would you like it?" She had noticed Yahiko's frustration and intent gaze on his hands.

"That'd be great."

Tsubame reached into the satchel beside her and produced a leaf of aloe vera. She broke it open. Inside the medicinal plant was a soothing sap that could work miracles on burns, cuts and aches.

"Give me your hands," Tsubame spoke sweetly. She began to rub the balmy pus over Yahiko's aching palms.

As she did this, a chill went down Yahiko's spine. It wasn't out of fear or a gust of wind; it was from Tsubame's tender touch. Her hands were just so warm and inviting... It went right along with her character. She was so good-natured, sweet and innocent.

"Is it helping?" Tsubame inquired meekly.

Yahiko looked up into her face, into her eyes. Those brown orbs that were so delicate and so wishy-washy, yet compassionate. Surrounded by a tiny face with adorable features and a fluff of black hair... _'She's so cute...'_

"Y-yeah..." Yahiko stammered in response.

Why was he thinking like this? He had never been so prone to noticing her characteristics. Then again, she had never touched him like this or been this close to him when they were alone. Was he maturing all of the sudden? Were his hormones raging? No way! Girls had cooties!

Yet, the color rose in Yahiko's cheeks. _'I hope she doesn't notice...' _He looked down at the oh-so-intriguing grass.

"All done," Tsubame announced cheerily a few moments later.

"Whoa! That stuff's amazing!" Yahiko commented. And it was amazing, that it was. His hands no longer ached. The gel made them feel cool and alleviated from the pain.

The two adolescents sat in silence. Both looked at the gorgeous display of nature's splendor before them. There was the flowing river, now at high tide. Two banks of grassy land bordered it. Sakura trees here and there were now in full blossom. Their sweet perfume permeated throughout the entire vicinity.

The most splendid element of the entire scene was the sky. It was so clean, so clear that day. Not one cloud was seen to put a damper on the view. Only the warm, bright sun cast its radiance down on them.

A cool breeze blew. It picked up the cherry blossoms of a nearby tree. Yahiko watched how they were cast into the air, set free from their bondage with the massive tree. The petals fluttered over to where they were seated.

Yahiko glanced over at Tsubame. She had grasped a handful of the sakura blossoms that had landed by her side. He watched as she opened her palm and blew the cherry leaves away. They went flying with the next gust of wind. A wide, content smile grew across her face as she watched them fly away.

"I love how the sky is so blue," she said, breaking the silence. "Like a sapphire gem."

"Yeah..." Yahiko agreed, looking up at the vast atmosphere above them. "I look up at it and feel like I have wings. I'm a free bird."

"You feel like you can do anything," Tsubame added to the philosophy.

Yahiko nodded in agreement.

"But, then I come back to reality..." Tsubame began. "I realize that I am me. I'm too small and timid to do the things I want... much less, brave enough."

She looked down at the grass, utterly down-trod. Her short, dark hair hung down with her head. It covered her face and her expression. She then began to sniffle. She was crying...

Yahiko moved closer to her. He wiped his hands clean of the aloe vera on the grass. Using his cleanest hand, he lifted up Tsubame's chin. He saw that her face was flushed. Tears were flowing like rain from her puffy, red eyes.

"There's no need to cry," he said gently. Tenderly, he wiped the tears from her creamy, smooth cheeks. He stared into her sad, watery eyes. "You can do anything if you put your mind to it."

"Really? You think?" Tsubame asked, unsure.

"Yeah! So no more tears. Got it?" Yahiko said, pointing a finger at her. "You're stronger than that."

"Got it," Tsubame agreed, showing off her pearly whites once again.

"See? You're cute when you smile," Yahiko complimented, smiling himself.

"Thank you, Yahiko," Tsubame said cheerily, dropping the suffix. Her smile grew even wider as she continued to stare at Yahiko.

Without any warning or hesitation, she leaned in and pecked Yahiko on the lips. She sat back in amusement as Yahiko stared back at her in disbelief. He was utterly dumbfounded. She giggled at his funny expression. His eyes were wide and his jaw had dropped.

Tsubame knew how out of the blue that kiss had been for Yahiko. Therefore, he had the right to be in a daze. Never before would she have had the determination or the guts to do such a daring thing. However, that day Yahiko had helped to spark a new fire in her, bring out another facet of Sanjo Tsubame. Never again was she going to be the same. She wasn't going to be shy any longer.

"Yahiko?" she asked. "Are you okay?" She slowly waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention.

"Uh..." Yahiko finally snapped out of his daze and came back to reality. Finally comprehending what had happened, his face reddened. "Where did that come from?"

Tsubame simply smiled at him.

That kiss had been her way of thanking him for what he had helped her to realize. Plus, she had longed to kiss him for ages. He was just...himself. Who wouldn't like a determined, loyal, strong Tokyo samurai? He may not have been tall yet, but he sure had the dark and handsome features down. He was more of a man than any other 10-year-old boy she had ever met. He was even more manly than most men. And for being that way, he had won her heart without even knowing he had. _Myojin Yahiko..._

Finally, she decided to officially declare her feelings. She had shown them with actions. Actions do speak louder than words, but maybe Yahiko needed some clarity. He was a guy, after all, and a very impressive one. However, guys were usually blind to things until they were hit in the head with it. She would now have to put her feelings into words.

"I like you, Yahiko."

"I like you, too, Tsubame," Yahiko admitted, as well. He flashed her some pearly whites, as she did, too. _'Maybe girls don't have cooties after all... Or at least this one.'_

Yahiko leaned into Tsubame's blushing face. She knew what he was going to do. As she prepared herself, she couldn't help but notice a commotion over Yahiko's shoulder.

"Umm... Yahiko..."

Yahiko stopped and stared at her, looking confused. Did she not want him to kiss her? Was there some unidentifiable piece of Kaoru's cooking stuck in his teeth?

Tsubame pointed beind him. He turned around and knew he was screwed.

There, crowded around the bamboo container of tofu was a clan of a dozen stray cats. They were feasting on the tofu... This was not good!

Yahiko ran over and shooed the cats away with weird noises and funny faces. Behind him, Tsubame just sat there giggling and almost bursting into tears of joy.

Finally, he had pried the last cat off the container to find that all, but a few crumbles of the tofu were gone. He was dead...

"Kaoru is going to kill me!"

**-The End-**

_'I'll try not to hold back what I'm thinking when you smile for your blue skies, for those times you felt alive...' Spitalfield_

**A/n**- And how cute was that? I had so much fun writing this fic! I hope everyone liked it! And to show your appreciation, you can review for me! XD It'll earn you brownie points!


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